IT202300004671A1 - PLANT FOR BRAZING OF HEAT EXCHANGERS - Google Patents

Description

"Plant for brazing of heat exchangers"?

The present invention relates to an innovative system for brazing heat exchangers.

Heat exchangers are used in all those situations where there is a need for a heat exchange, so where there is a need to cool/heat an environment, a gas, a liquid or other substances. They are products made up of bent tubes, fins, curves and collectors that form a circuit that allows the desired heat exchange to be achieved.

Some? examples? of? applications? of? such? exchangers? are? cold rooms,? radiators,? chillers,? air-conditioning? systems? and? so on.?

In?the?well?known?technique?the?problem?of?performing?braze?welding?between?parts?of?heat?exchangers?such?as?the?end?bends?and?the?tubes?of?the?heat?exchange?columns.?In?addition?to?manual?welding,?obviously?very?slow?and?the?result?of?which?depends?largely?on?the?skill?of?the?operator,?automatic?and?semi-automatic?systems?have?been?proposed.?For?example?pass?braze?welding?systems?have?been?proposed?in?which?a?long?sequence?of?flames?is?always?active?and?the?exchangers?move?to?pass?over?the?flames?all?the?areas?of?the? curves?to?be?welded.?This?type?of?system?consumes?a?high?quantity?of?gas,?is?relatively?bulky?and?does?not?always?allow?you?to?obtain?a?fully?satisfactory?result.?

Systems have also been proposed in which a single flame is moved to the various parts to be welded, for example, through an anthropomorphic arm.

??????

appropriately?programmed?for?the?particular?exchanger,?but?such?a?system???is?obviously?very?slow,?requires?complex?programming?which?must?be?specific?for?each?exchanger,?and?even?minimal?changes?in?the?shape?or?size?of?the?exchanger?makes?it?necessary?to?reprogram?the?system?with?the?consequent?considerable?downtime.?

The general purpose of this invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the known art and to provide an automatic system for brazing parts of heat exchangers.

In view of this purpose, it was thought to create, according to the invention, an automated braze welding system for parts in heat exchangers, comprising a braze welding station with a braze welding head equipped with a plurality of burners for emitting a welding flame, the burners being placed side by side aligned along a line and with the same flame direction, and a support station intended to accommodate an exchanger on which to perform braze welding using the braze welding station, the braze welding station being motorized to move the brazing?head?in?at?least?two?directions?perpendicular?to?the?line?of?the?plurality?of?burners?with?respect?to?the?support?station?located?in?the?brazing?station.?

Advantageously,? the? system? may? include? a? station? transfer? system? between? a? loading/unloading? station? of? an? exchanger? and? the? braze-welding? station.? Such? transfer? system? may? be? a? carousel? rotating? around? a? vertical? axis? and? may? include? several? support? stations.? Further? stations? may? also? be? provided? along? the? path? of? the? transfer? system? between? the? loading/unloading? station? and? the? braze-welding? station? and? between? the? braze-welding? station? and? the? loading/unloading? station? to? perform? further?

??????

operations? on? exchangers? in? support? stations? on? the? transfer? system.?

In order to clarify the explanation of the innovative principles of the present invention and its advantages over the prior art, possible exemplary embodiments applying these principles will be described below, with the help of the attached drawings. In the drawings:

?figure?1?is?a?schematic?view?in?perspective?of?a?system?constructed?according?to?the?principles?of?the?invention;? ?figure?2?is?a?schematic?plan?view?of?the?system?of?figure?1;? ?figures?3?and?4?are?schematic?views?in?front?and?back?perspective?of?a?support?group?of?an?exchanger?in?the?system?according?to?the?invention;? ?figures?5?and?6?are?schematic?views?in?top?and?bottom?perspective?of?a?welding?group?of?an?exchanger?in?the?system?according?to?the?invention;? ?figure?7?is?a?schematic?view?in?side?elevation,?partially?in? section,?of?the?welding?group?of?figures?5?and?6;? figure?8?is?a?schematic?view,?partial?and?partially?sectioned?of?an?active?flame?selection?mechanism?in?the?welding?group?of?figures?5?and?6;? figure?9?is?a?schematic?view?in?perspective?of?a?flame?verification?system?of?the?welding?group?of?figures?5?and?6.?

With? reference? to? the? figures,? in? figures? 1? and? 2? is shown? a? system? made? according? to? the? invention? and? is? generically? indicated? with? 10.??

Preferably,? such? system?10?has?a?generally?parallelepiped?shape,? with?a?frame?11?containing?the?entire?structure?of?the?system.?

The system? 10? includes? at least? one? support? station? 17? intended? to? accommodate? an? exchanger? to? be? welded? (generically? indicated? with? 18? in? the? figures)?

??????

and?a?braze?welding?station?12?equipped?with?a?braze?welding?head?31?that?is?movable?on?control?to?perform?the?welds?on?the?exchanger?present?in?the?support?station?17?that?is?facing?this?braze?welding?station.? The?exchanger?can?have?a?generally?parallelepiped?shape,?with?the?curves?to?be?welded?on?one?face?or?two?opposite?faces.?The?exchanger?treated?in?the?system?can?have?various?sizes,?with?maximum?size?bound?to?the?maximum?size?of?the?treatment?stations?in?the?system,?as?will?be?clear?in?the?following.? For? example,?the?maximum?size? (horizontal? and/or? in? height)? can? be? around? 1m.? Usually? the? exchanger? will? have? another? much? smaller? horizontal? dimension? (for? example? around? 20? 40cm)? and? therefore? a? flattened? parallelepiped? shape? in? a? horizontal? direction? towards? the? brazing? station,? as? schematically? visible? in? the? figures.?

As? will? be? further? described? below,? the? brazing? station? has? the? brazing? head? 31? which? is? equipped? with? a? plurality? of? gas? burners? 32? which? are? placed? side by side? and? aligned? along? a? straight? line? and? with? substantially? the? same? flame? direction.? Preferably? the? exchanger? placed? in? the? support? station? will? have? the? face? with? curves? to? be? welded? placed? at? the? top? and? the? direction? of? the? flames? from? the? burners? will? be? downwards.? The? above? mentioned? two? perpendicular? directions? may? therefore? for? example? be? one? horizontal? and? one? vertical.? The? gas? supplied? to? the? burners? may? be? example? methane,? LPG? and? possibly? hydrogen,? depending? on? the? particular? welding? requirements,? as? is? clear? to? the? expert? technician.? Each? burner? will? itself? be? substantially? of? a? known? type,? with? for? example? its own? mechanical? regulators? for? combustion,? flame? width,? etc.,? to? produce? a? correct? welding? flame,? and? being? therefore? easily? imaginable? by? the? expert? technician? it? will? not? be? shown? or? described? further? here.?

??????

The?braze?welding?station?12?is?motorized?so?as?to?move?the?braze?welding?head?on?command?in?at?least?two?directions?perpendicular?to?the?line?of?the?multiple?burners,?so?as?to?perform?the?contemporaneous?braze?welding?of?multiple?parts?of?an?exchanger?which?is?placed?in?the?support?station?17?within?the?braze?welding?station.?These?parts?will?usually?be?the?bends?and?the?relative?heat?exchange?tubes?of?the?exchanger.?

For? the? reasons? that? will? be? described? below,? the? brazing? station? 12? can? also? be? additionally? motorized? to? be? able? to? move? the? brazing? head? on? command? also? in? a? direction? parallel? to? the? line? of? the? burners? placed side by side? and? therefore? transversely? to? the? two? perpendicular? directions mentioned above.?

Advantageously,? the? support? station? 17? is? in? turn? mobile? between? a? loading? station? 13? for? the? insertion? of? an? exchanger? to? be? brazed? and? the? brazing? station? 12.?

In?a?particular?realization?described?here?of?a?system?according?to?the?invention,?the?support?station?17?may?be?part?of?a?transfer?system?14,?preferably?realized?by?a?rotating?carousel?15?that?is?motorized?to?rotate?on?command?(clockwise?in?the?example?of?figures?1?and?2)?around?a?vertical?axis?16.?

The?rotating?carousel?15?includes?at?least?one?station?17?where?an?exchanger?to?be?brazed?is?positioned?and?locked.?

Advantageously,? the? carousel? can? include? two? or? more? stations? 17? arranged? around? the? axis? 16,? so? that? while? one? station? 17? is? in? the? welding? station? 12? another? station? 17? is? in? the? loading? station? 13,? thus? allowing? simultaneous? processing? and? loading/unloading? operations.?

As can be seen in figures 1 and 2, the system can have a loading station 13 for one

??????

exchanger? to? be? welded? (station? which? in? the? system? shown? also? for? unloading? the? exchanger? after? welding)? which? with? respect? to? the? axis? 16? of? the? carousel? 15? ? arranged? in? a? position? diametrically? opposite? to? the? welding? station? 12.? In? the? system? 10? it? can? also? advantageously? be? provided? an? intermediate? input? station? 19,? placed? between? the? loading? station? 13? and? the? brazing? station? 12,? through? which? the? exchanger? passes? before? reaching? station? 12.?

In the intermediate station 19, preparatory operations for the welding operations in station 12 can thus be carried out, without keeping the loading station 13 busy, so that in the meantime it can receive another exchanger. The preparatory operations can, for example, be the measurement and/or automatic identification of the exchanger directed to the brazing station 12, so that station 12 can quickly prepare to operate on that exchanger when the exchanger arrives at it. For example, in the intermediate station 19 there can be a known system 28?for?detection?of?information?on?an?exchanger?present?in?the?station?in?the?station?for?setting?parts?of?the?system?to?operate?on?that?exchanger.? Such?system? 28?can?be?for?example?a?known?measuring?system,?advantageously?a?vision?and?laser?system,?which?detects?the?zero?point?of?the?exchanger?with?respect?to?the?zero?of?the?machine,?the?height?of?the?plane?where?the?bends?to?be?welded?are?present?and?also?further?geometric?information?of?the?parts?to?be?welded,?such?as?for?example?the?pitch?between?the?tubes?and?the?pitch?between?the?rows?of?the?exchanger.?The?system? of?detection?28?can?also?be?a?label?reader?with?bar?codes?or?similar?placed?on?the?exchanger?and?which?identify?what?is?necessary?for?the?system?settings?to?operate?on?the?particular?exchanger.?

??????

The?setting?information?will?be?passed?to?the?electronic?control?system?of?the?plant?which?controls?the?braze?welding?station?12.? This?allows?the?welding?station?12?to?be?set?to?automatically?carry?out?the?braze?welding?operations?of?a?particular?exchanger.? In?the?plant?10?it?may?also?advantageously?be?provided?with?an?intermediate?output?station?20,?placed?between?the?braze?welding?station?12?and?the?discharge?station?13,?and?through?which?the?exchanger?passes?after?being?welded?in?station?12?and?before?reaching?the?discharge?station?13.?In?this? intermediate? station? 20? can? thus? be? carried? out? operations? of? preparation? of? the? exchanger? in? view? of? its? unloading? from? the? system,? without? keeping? the? welding? station? 12? busy,? in? which? in? the? meantime? a? new? exchanger? can? thus? arrive? to? be? welded.? The? operations? of? preparation? of? the? exchanger? before? its? unloading? from? the? system? can? for? example? also? only? be? cooling? the? exchanger? directed? to? the? unloading? station? 13,? so? that? it? can? be? handled? once? it? arrives? at? the? unloading? station.? Advantageously, as can be seen for example in figure 2, the intermediate stations 19 and 20 can be arranged facing each other on opposite sides of the axis 16 of the carousel and at 90 degrees to the welding station 12 and the loading/unloading station 13. In this way, a station 17 with an exchanger can pass sequentially from one station to the other at every 90 degree rotation of the carousel 15. As can be seen in figures 1 and 2, the carousel 15 can comprise advantageously?four?stations?17?arranged?equidistant?at?90?intervals?around?the?axis?16?so?that?there?is?always?a?station?17?in?each?station?of?the?system.?

??????

This allows to maximize the parallelization of the operations of the stations in the plant and optimize the cycle times of the plant.

The locking in position of an exchanger at station 17 may be achieved by various systems. For example, station 17 may comprise mechanical references for positioning the exchanger and systems for locking the exchanger against these references. The references may be special housings or surfaces for accommodating parts of the exchanger, and the locking systems may, for example, comprise manual or servo-assisted fixing clamps.

In? figures? 3? and? 4? is shown? a? possible? implementation? of? a? station? 17? of? the? system? with? possible? reference? and? locking? systems? of? an? exchanger.? In? particular,? in? this? implementation? the? station? 17? includes? as? references? a? horizontal? plane? 21? and? a? vertical? plane? 22,? and? a? horizontal? clamping? crosspiece? 23? which? is? parallel? to? the? two? planes? 21? and? 22.? The? crosspiece? 23? slides? parallel? to? the? horizontal? plane? 21? by? means of? two? end? trolleys? 24? and? 25? in order to? be? movable? on? command? (for example, manually or with an appropriate actuator) to move closer to or further away from the vertical plane 22. Advantageously, the crosspiece 23, if desired, can also be adjustable in height with respect to the horizontal plane 21. An exchanger 18 can thus be positioned on the horizontal plane 21 and against the vertical plane 22, and the crosspiece 23 can be moved towards the vertical plane 22 to lock the exchanger in this position, as can be seen schematically in the dotted line in figure 4. In this locking position, the exchanger is advantageously arranged with the bends to be welded at the top. The block of? trolleys? 24? and? 25? and/or? the? movement? of? the? crosspiece? to? keep? the? exchanger? clamped? between? the? vertical? plane? and? the? crosspiece? can? be? manual? (for? example? through? manual? push? and? locking? clamps? on?

??????

trolleys)? or? automatic? or? semi-automatic? (for? example? by? known? electric? or? fluid? drives)? or? a? mixture? of? the? two,? as? now? easily? imaginable? by? the? expert? technician.? As? easily? imaginable? by? the? technician,? the? planes? 21? and? 22,? shown? in? figures? 3? and? 4? as? continuous? surfaces,? can? also? be? identified? by? discontinuous? elements,? such? as? transverse? parallel? or? other? position? reference? elements,? also? depending? on? the? shape? of? the? exchangers? to? be? treated.? This? is? schematically? shown? in? figure? 1.?

As? shown? in? figure? 4,? at? least? the? horizontal? plane? 21? can? also? be? made? vertically?movable? by? means? of? a? motorized? guide? 26? (for? example? with? a? screw? nut? screw? coupling? placed? on? the? back? of? the? plane? vertical? with? respect? to? the? exchanger)? so? as? to? be? able? to? adjust? its? position,? for? example? according? to? the? height? of? the? exchanger? to? be? accommodated? on? the? plane.? In? this? case,? the? crosspiece? 23? with? its? carriages? 24? and? 25? can? be? advantageously? supported? by? the? horizontal? plane? in order? to? move? with? it? and? maintain? the? vertical? distance? with? respect? to? such? plane? once? it? has? been? adjusted.? The vertical plane 22 may also be extended in height (as shown in Figures 3 or 4) to form a protective screen during welding operations. The exchanger loading station 13 may also be equipped with a known detection system 29 for certain characteristics of the exchanger loaded into it. Such a system 29 may be in addition to or instead of the one present in station 19. Preferably, the detection system 29 in loading station 13 can??be?an?additional?system?to?the?one?in?station?19?and?be?simpler?and?faster?than?the?one?in?station?19?to?collect?some?information?for?a?preliminary?setup?which?is?then?completed?by?the?information?obtained?

???????

in?station?19.?For?example,?in?the?loading?station?the?type?of?the?exchanger?can?be?recognized?by?measuring?the?exchanger?or?entering?the?data?by?the?operator?or?by?recognition?via?a?bar?code?or?order?code,?so?that?the?loading?plane?21?is?automatically?positioned?at?the?appropriate?height?for?the?particular?exchanger.?The?system?28?in?station?19?can?have?greater?complexity?and?more?time?available?for?further?detections?for?setting?the?braze?welding?station?12.?

In? figures? 5,? 6? and? 7? is shown? a? brazing? station? 12? according? to? the? invention.? Such? station? 12? advantageously? comprises? a? frame? 30? which? supports,? in? a? movable? motorized? manner,? the? welding? head? 31? equipped? with? a? plurality? of? gas? burners? 32? which? are? aligned? side by side? along? a? straight? line? and? which? are? each? suitable? for? emitting? a? flame? for? brazing,? with? all? the? flames? in? the? same? direction.? The? burners? can? be? for? example? supported? by? a? crosspiece? 33? arranged? between? two? support? arms? 34? and? 35.? The?burners?can?be?spaced?from?each?other?with?the?minimum?pitch?envisaged?between?two?bends?that?you?want?to?weld?at?the?same?time?in?an?exchanger.? For?example,?the?burners?can?be?arranged?with?a?pitch?between?20?and?80mm.? In?any?case,?the?pitch?will?naturally?be?chosen?according?to?the?pitch?of?the?bends?that?you?want?to?weld?and?at?the?choice?of?the?user?of?the?system?according?to?specific?needs.? As?will?be?clear?from?the?following,?the?total?number?of?burners?placed?side?by?side?will?depend?on?how?many?bends?you?want?to?weld?at?the?same?time?and?on?their?pitch.?For?example? for example, there can be thirty-two burners.

???????

Advantageously, aligned burners are directed with the flame downwards to weld the bends from above. This has been found to be optimal for uniform welding and uniform distribution of the solder around the circumference of each exchanger duct.

In the? welding? station? 12? there? is? a? valve? device? 37? for? controlling? the? gas? supply? for? the? production? of? brazing? flames? from? the? burners,? so? as? to? be? able? to? select? which? burners? of? the? plurality? of? burners? 32? receive? gas? simultaneously,? so? as? to? vary? on? command? the? number? of? simultaneous? flames? and? the? pitch? between? them? in? the? welding? head.? The? selection? allows? to? have? the? flames? in? preset? positions? along? the? plurality? of? burners? for? example? depending? on? the? pitch? and? number? of? bends? to? be? welded? simultaneously? in? the? exchanger? joint? in? the? station.?

In? case? some? of? the? burners? must? be? turned? on? at? the? same? time,? there? may? also? be? a? single? valve? that? sends? gas? to? them.? The? valve? device? 37? may? advantageously? be? formed? by? a? plurality? of? controlled? valves,? one? for? each? selectable? burner,? mounted? on? a? crosspiece? 27? that? is? parallel? to? the? crosspiece? or? flanking? line? 33? of? the? burners? 32.? The? valve? device? is? advantageously? connected? to? each? burner? through? ducts? 36.? For? simplicity,? only? some? of? such? ducts? 36? are? shown? in? the? figures.? In? order? to? be? able? to? position? the? burners? in the right position on an exchanger to be welded, the welding unit is motorized to be moved horizontally, under control, towards station 17 which is faced with the brazing station 12 (and therefore transversally to the plurality of burners placed side by side) and vertically.

In this way, the burners can be brought adequately close to an exchanger.

???????

to be subjected to the brazing operation and is present in station 17, faced at station 12, and can be moved, if necessary, above it in correspondence with the curves to be welded. Advantageously, the welding unit can also be motorized to move the plurality of burners in a lateral direction, i.e. parallel to the line along which the burners are aligned. In this way, the plurality of burners can slide along the adjacent curves of an exchanger present in station 17, faced at station 12. The plurality of burners can be moved by command along three Cartesian axes with respect to the exchanger to be welded.

In order to obtain the above-mentioned motorized movements of the plurality of burners placed side by side, various known kinematic solutions can be used, preferably with carriages, moving by means of electric motors in the three Cartesian directions and supported in various ways on one another.

For?example,?in?a?preferred?embodiment?shown?in?figures?5?and?6,?the?welding?unit?31?may?comprise?a?first?carriage?38?that?slides?under?control?on?guides?in?a?first?horizontal?direction?directed?toward?the?workstation?17?that?is?facing?the?braze?welding?station,?so?as?to?be?able?to?horizontally?approach?an?exchanger?to?be?subjected?to?the?braze?welding?operation.?The?motorized?movement?of?such?first?carriage?is?for?example?obtained?by?an?electric?motor?39?and?a?screw?nut?coupling?40.?The?transverse?movement? to the extension of the plurality of burners placed side by side.??

On the first carriage 38 is advantageously supported a second carriage 41 which is motorized to slide by means of guides on the first carriage 38 in a horizontal direction and transversely to the horizontal direction of movement of the first carriage.

???????

carriage?38,?so?as?to?have?the?lateral?movement?of?the?plurality?of?flanking?burners.?The?motorized?movement?of?this?second?carriage?41???is?obtained?for?example?by?an?electric?motor?42?and?a?screw?nut?coupling?43?(as?can?be?seen?for?example?in?figure?6).?On?the?second?carriage?41???finally?advantageously?supported?a?third?carriage?44?which???is?motorized?to?be?slidable?by?guides?on?the?second?carriage?41?in?a?vertical?direction,?so?as?to?have?the?vertical?movement?of?the?plurality?of?flanking?burners.? The motorized movement of this third carriage 44 is, for example, obtained by means of an electric motor 45 and a screw-nut coupling 46 (as can be clearly seen, for example, in figure 6).

In the?section?of?figure?7?the?three?carriages?38,?41?and?44?are?shown?and?highlighted?with?arrows?the?vertical?and?horizontal?movements?above?an?exchanger?18?(shown?in?dashed?shade)?present?in?the?station?17?facing?the?welding?station.?As?can?be?seen?in?figures?5?and?6?and,?better,?in?figure?7,?the?welding?group?can?also?include?a?device?47?for?blowing?cooling?air?(schematically?indicated?with?48)?to?impact?the?exchanger?in?predetermined?zones.?This?device?47?can?for?example?advantageously?include?a? tube?49,?parallel?to?the?plurality?of?flame?burners,?with?a?longitudinal?slit?or?nozzles?closely?placed?along?side?for?the?emission?of?a?blade?of?air.?

The air is directed towards the welded exchanger to cool the area of the exchanger that is close to the welded bends but which must not be overheated. In figure 6, for clarity, the device 47 is shown in dotted lines. A similar device (indicated by 50 in figure 1), but preferably with a direct

???????

of? the? blade? of? air? directed? downwards,? may? also? be? present? in? the? intermediate? outlet? station? 20? where? the? exchanger? arrives? after? welding? in? welding? station? 12,? so? that? the? entire? welding? area? is? cooled? by? a? flow? of? air? in? the? intermediate? outlet? station? before? the? extraction? of? the? exchanger? in? the? subsequent? loading/unloading? station? 13.?

In? figure?8?is?shown?schematically?a?possible?realization?of?the?valve?device?37?for?selecting?the?gas?supply?to?the?burners?that?must?be?fed?by?gas?in?order?to?emit?the?flame.?For?simplicity?in?figure?8?only?two?burners?32?of?the?plurality?are?shown,?with?their?corresponding?valve?controlled?for?selective?gas?supply?through?their?own?ducts?36.? In?such?valve?device?37?is?used?a?rigid?tube?(which?can?advantageously?be?the?same?crosspiece?27)?that?forms?a?chamber?in?which? gas is supplied to the flames (gas coming at suitable pressure from a suitable source, not shown or described further, being easily imaginable by the skilled technician). The valve device 37 comprises a linear actuator 51 for each burner to be selectively supplied. The actuator 51 moves on command a pad 52 (advantageously transversely to the axis of the rigid tube) to open or close the passage of a connected fitting 53 which connects the inside of the tube 27 to a supply duct 36 for a corresponding burner 32. In this way, the station?control?system?can?open?or?close?the?gas?supply?to?the?selected?burners?by?controlling?the?suitable?linear?actuators?51.? The?ignition?of?the?flames?from?the?selected?burners?can?be?obtained?in?various?ways,?for?example?by?a?dedicated?electric?spark?ignition?for?each?burner.?

???????

Alternatively, a flame propagation ignition method may also be advantageously employed. According to this method, only the first burner of the plurality will have its own ignition device (e.g. an electric spark ignition) and its ignition will produce a flame which will ignite the nearest gas burner and which in turn will produce a flame which will ignite the next gas burner and so on until all the gas burners are ignited.

To? aid? the? propagation? of? the? flame? along? the? burners,? the? device? 54? may? also? include? a? flame? spreading? plate? 60? which? is? placed? at? a? short? distance? below? and? parallel? to? the? burners? during? the? ignition? procedure.?

In order for the control system of the station to recognize that all the burners powered by gas have been correctly turned on, suitable known flame sensors may also be provided. Such sensors may be one for each burner or (to avoid a relatively high number of sensors and the consequent need for relatively complex, expensive and redundant control electronics) it is possible to use a device 54 with a mobile flame sensor, as shown for example in figure 1 and, in enlarged detail, figure 9 (for clarity, this device 54 has been removed from figure 2).

The? device? 54? is supported? by? a? support? structure? 55? to? be? parallel? to? the? plurality? of? burners? and? comprises? a? flame? sensor? 56? which? is motorized? (for? example? by? a? worm? screw? 57? operated? by? an? electric? motor? 58)? to? slide? parallel? to? the? plurality? of? burners.? Advantageously,? the? device? 54? may? also? comprise? a? fixed? flame? sensor? 59? which? is? intended? to? be? aligned? with? the? most lateral? burner? of? the?

???????

plurality??of?burners?that?is?ignited?first.? The?fixed?sensor?59?may?also?be?associated?with?the?ignition?device?to?trigger?the?flame?of?the?first?burner.?

When? the? ignition? of? the? flames? must? be? checked,? the? plurality? of? burners? can? be? moved? by? the? kinematics? of? the? welding? station? 12? to? move? with? the? burners? immediately? above? the? device? 54? and? the? sensor? 56? is? moved? along? the? plurality? of? burners? by? the? motor? 58? to? be? sequentially? hit? by? the? various? flames,? if? they? are? correctly? lit.? If? the? fixed? sensor? 59? is? also? foreseen? and? for? example? the? propagation? of? the? flame? is? exploited? to? light? the? burners,? the? first? burner? of? the? plurality? can? be? positioned? above? this? sensor? fixed?59?and?the?mobile?sensor?56?can?be?moved?by?the?motor?58?to?position?itself?under?the?last?burner?that?must?be?lit?in?the?row?of?burners?of?the?plurality.?In?this?way,?the?fixed?sensor?and?the?mobile?sensor?will?detect?the?presence?of?a?flame?only?if?the?burners?between?the?two?sensors?have?all?ignited?correctly.?

If the device 54 detects the lack of a flame, an alarm signal may be emitted, the ignition procedure will be interrupted and gas supplies to the burners will be suspended.

As?now?clear?to?the?technician,?the?entire?braze?welding?system?will?naturally?be?operated?according?to?appropriate?programmed?sequences?in?a?suitable?in?itself?known?electronic?system?63?for?control?of?the?system,?for?example?a?microprocessor?or?microcontroller?system?suitably?programmed,?easily?imaginable?by?the?expert?technician?on?the?basis?of?the?functional?description?given?here?and?which?includes?or?controls?the?various?electrical?,?electronic?,?pneumatic?and?gas?control?devices?of?the?system.?Advantageously,?such?system?may?include?

???????

also? a? control? panel? 61? to? provide? visual? information? (via? indicator? lights? and/or? displays)? and/or? to? receive? commands? (via? buttons,? switches,? keyboards? and/or? touchscreen)? from? a? person? in? charge? of? the? system? operation.? When? using? the? system,? an? exchanger? 18? to? be? welded? can? be? introduced? and? locked? in? position? 17? present? in? loading? station? 13,? with? the? curves? in? position? and? with? the? soldering? alloy? appropriately? applied.? The? operator? can? then? start,? for? example? via? panel? 61,? a? welding? cycle.? Any? information? detection? system? in? loading? station? 13? can? for? example? adjust? the? positions? of? the? references? in? station? 17? to? correctly? position? the? exchanger,? for? example? position? it? in? height? by? means? of? the? movement? of? the? horizontal? plane? 21.? The? transfer? system? 14? then? moves? station? 17? with? the? exchanger? 18? to? take? it? to? the? welding? station.?

If?the?intermediate?input?station?19?is?provided,?the?exchanger?can?be?measured?in?it?and/or?in?anyway?recognized?by?the?automatic?measuring?and/or?recognition?system?for?setting?the?welding?station?12.?

Alternatively? or? in? addition,? information? required? by? the? welding? station? 12? can? be? set? manually? by? the? operator? via? the? control? panel?61.?

In?any?case,?station?12?is?set?to?move?the?welding?head?and?the?multiple?burners?to?the?correct?position?to?start?welding?on?the?incoming?exchanger.?The?control?system?in?addition?to?correctly?positioning?the?welding?head?can?enable?or?disable?the?burners?that?are?necessary?depending?on?the?number?of?tubes?and?bends?to?be?welded?and?their?mutual?pitch,?so?as?to?avoid?igniting?unnecessary?burners.?

???????

The? transfer? system? 14? brings? the? station? 17? with? the? exchanger? 18? into? the? welding? station? and? the? welding? is? performed,? possibly? with? also? further? movements? of? the? plurality? of? burners? to? adequately? weld? all? the? curves? of? the? exchanger.? For? example,? in? the? case? that? the? curves? placed side by side? are? greater? in? number? than? the? number? of? burners? that? can? be? ignited? with? the? pitch? suitable? for? that? exchanger,? the? plurality? of? burners? also? moves? laterally? until? all? the? curves? placed side by side? are? welded.? Furthermore,? if? there? are? several? rows? or? ranks? of? parallel? curves,? the? plurality? of? burners? can? be? moved? parallel? to? itself? to? sequentially? weld? all? rows? or? ranks.? Thanks? to? the? controlled? axes? of? movement? of? the? welding? head,? during? welding? it? is? also? possible? to? perform? a? rotary? movement? of? the? plurality? of? burners? to? obtain? a? more? effective? weld.?

Once the welding operation is completed, the transfer system 14 moves the station 17 with the welded exchanger 18 to take it to the unloading station. If an intermediate exit station 20 is provided, the exchanger can remain there for the operations it includes, for example the final cooling operation, before reaching the unloading station 13 where the welded exchanger can be removed from station 17 and a new exchanger to be welded can be inserted?in?its?place,?or?the?same?exchanger?can?be?overturned?by?180?for?one?welding?cycle?of?the?bends?on?the?opposite?side?to?that?of?the?bends?just?welded.? It?is?clear?that?the?insertion?of?an?exchanger?to?be?welded?and?the?removal?of?a?welded?exchanger?can?occur?at?each?rotation?step?of?the?transfer?system,?so?that?in?operation?all?the?stations?of?the?system?are?always?

???????

occupied?and?the?operations?scheduled?in?the?various?stations?can?be?carried?out?in?parallel?to?one?another,?to?the?advantage?of?the?system?cycle?times.?The?time?interval?between?two?rotations?of?the?carousel?will?naturally?depend?on?the?station?with?the?slowest?operation?(generally?the?operation?in?the?braze?welding?station).?The?introduction?of?the?exchangers?to?be?welded?and?the?removal?of?the?welded?exchangers?can?be?manual?or?automatic?or?semi-automatic.?

As an example, the figures show an employee carrying out these operations in the loading/unloading station 13. As can easily be imagined by an expert technician, the system can be easily equipped with a suitable and known automatic or semi-automatic exchanger transfer system. For example, an anthropomorphic robotic arm can be used to pick up an exchanger to be welded arriving from a transport system (for example, a belt conveyor), insert it into the empty loading station and then unload it after welding to place it on, for example, a transport system for welded exchangers.

At this point it is clear how the intended goals were achieved.

A? system? according? to? the? invention? allows? to? treat? exchangers? quickly? and? precisely? in order to? weld? their? curves? at? the? ends? of? the? exchange? columns.? Lighting? only? the? burners? really? necessary? for? welding? a? particular? exchanger? also? allows? a? saving? of? gas? that is? not? insignificant? compared? to? known? systems.?

?? also? clear? how? with? the? system? according? to? the? invention? is? flexible? enough? to? handle? exchangers? of? different? size? and/or? number? of? bends? and? columns,? with? or? without? casings.??

Even? with? only? the? insertion? or? the? detection? of? the? height? of? the? exchanger?

???????

the system can handle single or repetitive exchangers with different tube diameters and geometry with variable tube pitch and row pitch.

Of course,? the? above? description? of? an? embodiment? applying? the? innovative? principles? of? the? present? invention? is? given? as? an? example? of? such? innovative? principles? and? must? not? therefore? be? taken? as? a? limitation? of? the? scope? of? the? patent? claimed? here.?

For example, the system may also include additional known accessories depending on specific requirements. As can be seen in the figures, a hood may also be provided (indicated by 62 in figures 1 and 2) placed above the welding station to collect the combustion fumes from the flames and convey them to a known extraction and evacuation system into the atmosphere and/or for the reduction of fumes, which is not shown because it is easily imaginable by an expert technician.

Furthermore, limit switches and position sensors can be provided for the moving parts, physical and/or photocell safety barriers, etc.

The?stations?of?the?plant?can?also?be?different?in?number?and?type?in?addition?to?the?actual?welding?station.?Furthermore,?the?input?and?output?stations?19,?20,?if?present,?can?also?be?waiting?stations?and?the?operations?in?them?can?therefore?also?be?only?dwelling?operations,?while?the?braze?welding?station?carries?the?welding?on?the?exchanger?in?it.?The?intermediate?output?station?20?can?also?be?an?unloading?station?of?the?exchanger?from?the?plant?separated?from?the?loading?station?13.?

Also? the? supports? and? the? locking? system? of? the? exchangers? in? the? stations? of? the? transfer? system? may? be? different? from? those? shown,? also? depending? on? the? specific? shapes? or? dimensions? of? the? exchangers? to? be? accommodated.? For? example,? cradles? may? be? provided? shaped? in? a? complementary? way? to?

???????

particular? shapes? of? surfaces? of? the? exchanger? on? which? the? exchanger? must? rest? for? its? support? and? locking? in? the? positions? of? the? transfer? system.?

???????

Claims (1)

CLAIMS? 1.? Automated? braze-welding? system? for? parts? in? heat? exchangers,? comprising? a? braze-welding? station? (12)? with? a? braze-welding? head? (31)? equipped? with? a? plurality? of? burners? (32)? for? emitting? a? welding? flame,? the? burners? (32)? being? aligned? side by side? along? a? line? and? with? the? same? flame? direction,? and? a? support? station? (17)? intended? to? accommodate? an? exchanger? on? which? braze-welding? is to be carried out? by? means? of? the? braze-welding? station? (12),? the? braze-welding? station? braze welding?(12)?being?motorized?to?move?on?command?the?braze?welding?head?(31)?in?at?least?two?directions?perpendicular?to?the?line?of?the?plurality?of?burners?(32)?with?respect?to?the?support?station?(17)?placed?in?the?braze?welding?station?(32).? 2.? System?according?to?claim?1,?characterized?by?the?fact?that?the?braze?welding?station?(12)?is?motorized?to?move?on?command?the?braze?welding?head?(31)?in?a?further?direction?perpendicular?to?the?said?two?directions?perpendicular?to?the?line?of?the?plurality?of?burners?(32).? 3.? System?according?to?claim?2,?characterized?by?the?fact?that?the?said?further?perpendicular?direction?is?parallel?to?the?line?of?the?flanking?of?the?burners?(32).? 4.? System?according to?claim?1,?characterized?by?the?fact?that?the?said?two?directions?perpendicular?to?the?line?of?the?plurality?of?burners?(32)?are?one?horizontal?and?one?vertical.? 5.? System?according?to?claim?1,?characterized?in?that?the?direction?of?the?flame?of?the?burners?(32)?is?facing?downwards.? 6.? System?according?to?claim?1,?characterized?by?the?fact?of?comprising? ??????? a? system? (14)? for? transferring? the? station? (17)? between? a? loading/unloading? station? (13)? of? an? exchanger? and? the? brazing? station? (12).? 7.? System? according? to? claim? 6,? characterised? in? that? the? transfer? system? (14)? is? a? carousel? (15)? rotating? around? a? vertical? axis? (16).? 8.? System?according?to?claim?7,?characterized?in?that?the?loading/unloading?station?(13)?and?the?braze?welding?station?(12)?are?arranged?in?positions?opposite?to?each?other?with?respect?to?the?vertical?axis?(16)?of?rotation?of?the?carousel?(15).? 9.? System? according? to? claim? 6,? characterised? by? the? fact? that? along? the? path? of? the? transfer? system? (14)? between? the? loading/unloading? station? (13)? and? the? brazing? station? (12)? there? is? an? intermediate? input? station? (19),? and/or? along? the? path? of? the? transfer? system? (14)? between? the? brazing? station? (12)? and? the? loading/unloading? station? (13)? there? is? an? intermediate? output? station? (20).? 10.? System? according? to? claims? 7? and? 9,? characterised? by? the? fact? that? the? intermediate? input? (19)? and? output? stations? (20)?are?arranged?in?positions?opposite?to?one?another?with?respect?to?the?vertical?rotation?axis?(16)?of?the?carousel?(15)? 11.?System?according?to?claim?7,?characterized?by?the?fact?that?the?carousel?(15)?comprises?four?support?positions?(17)?arranged?equidistant?around?the?vertical?rotation?axis?(16)?of?the?carousel.? 12.?System? according? to? any? of? the? preceding? claims,? characterised? in? that? the? support? station? (17)? comprises? a? horizontal? plane? (21)? and? a? vertical? plane? (22)? and? a? movable? bar? (23)? for? locking? an? exchanger? against? such? planes.? ??????? 13.?System? according? to? claim? 12,? characterized? by? the? fact? that? at? least? the? horizontal? plane? (21)? is? motorized? for? its? height? adjustment.? 14.?System? according? to? claim? 9,? characterized? by? the? fact? that? in? the? intermediate? entry? station? (19)? and/or? in? the? loading/unloading? station? (13)? there? are? systems? (28? and/or? 29)? for? detecting? information? on? an? exchanger? present? in? the? station? (17)? in? the? station? for? setting? parts? of? the? system? to? operate? on? this? exchanger.? 15.?System? according? to? claim? 9,? characterized? by? the? fact? that? in? the? brazing? station? there? is? a? valve? device? (37)? for? selecting? which? burners? of? the? plurality? of? burners? (32)? receive? gas? simultaneously,? in? such? a? way? as? to? vary? on? command? the? number? of? simultaneous? flames? and? the? pitch? between? them? in? the? brazing? head? (31).? 16.?System? according? to? claim? 15,? characterized? by? the? fact? that? the? valve? device? (37)? comprises? a? chamber? in? the? form? of? a? rigid? tube? (27)? that? receives? gas? from? a? source? and? actuators? (51)? that? upon? command? each? move? a? buffer? (52)? to? open? or? close? the? passage? of? a? facing? fitting? (53)? that? connects? the? inside? of? the? tube? (37)? to? a? duct? (36)? for? supplying? a? corresponding? burner? of? the? plurality? of? burners? (32).? 17.?System? according? to? claim? 1,? characterized? by? the? fact? of? comprising? a? device? (54)? for? verifying? the? ignition? of? the? flames? of? the? burners,? comprising? a? flame? sensor? (56)? which? is? motorized? to? be? movable? along? the? line? of? the? plurality? of? burners? (32)? and,? preferably,? also? a? fixed? flame? sensor? (59)? intended? to? align? itself? with? a? first? ??????? burner?of?the?plurality?of?burners?(32).? 18.?System? according? to? claim? 1,? characterized? by? the? fact? that? in? the? brazing? station? (12)? there? is? a? device? (47)? for? sending? a? flow? of? cooling? air? towards? an? exchanger? in? the? station.? 19.?System? according? to? claim? 9,? characterized? by? the? fact? that? in? the? intermediate? outlet? station? (20)? there? is? a? device? (50)? for? sending? a? flow? of? cooling? air? towards? an? exchanger? in? the? station.? ???????